Wild Gear Up For Vicious Reboot
Sometimes a team needs a collective kick in the breezers. Other times they need a complete reboot of their style. The Wild are hoping for the latter Saturday night when they host the Dallas Stars for Hockey Day.
Started by the Wild and FSN, Hockey Day in Minnesota has become symbolic of the love this state has for the sport, with games from school through pro level occurring throughout the day. The Wild game is the culmination of the celebration, but the team’s recent record has left fans utterly unsure as to which team will show up at the Xcel. Will it be the physical, hard-grinding team that topped the NHL only a few short weeks ago? Or will it be the disorganized, lethargic, non-shooting mob that has been wearing Wild sweaters lately?
While GM Chuck Fletcher has been working the phones trying to line up a trade to inject some life into this team, he and head coach Mike Yeo appear to have a different game plan for Saturday’s matchup, and it’s one that just might work…playing physical. REALLY physical.
Back to Houston go McIntyre and Wellman, and up come some seriously physical players: Ortmeyer, Rau, Prosser, and fan favorite Matt Kassian.
With eternal pest Steve Ott and company hitting the ice at the Xcel, it appears that Yeo and Fletcher want to invigorate this team through heavy hitting and hard play. I for one applaud the idea. This is a team that needs someone to step up and show how to fight for a win, and the selection of players flying in may give the Wild exactly that.
Note: live in-game commentary on Twitter tomorrow night @gonepuckwild, from the Xcel!